Dunkin’ Fires Employee for Message on Homeless Person’s Cup, But Not Police Officer’s

Dunkin’ Fires Employee for Message on Homeless Person’s Cup, But Not Police Officer’s

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that a Dunkin’ Donuts employee in that city has been fired for writing an inappropriate message on the cup of a homeless person, but the company did not fire a staff person when a message was written on a police officer's cup in 2015 in Providence.

In a Facebook post that has since been deleted and shared through screenshots, a cup from the breakfast chain's location at 125 Court Street reads, “Stop ‘Hangin’ out in-front [sic] of the store. If you have a Full Time job! -management,” reports the newspaper.

Mike Benhase, the owner of the Court Street location, confirmed the employee involved was not a manager and no longer works for the company.

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"It goes against everything we stand for," Benhase told The Enquirer.  "We're just a small family business and we preach to our employees long and hard about the values of respect and dignity."

Corporate Dunkin’ said in a statement on Friday, "Dunkin’ Donuts and our franchisees share the goal of creating a welcoming and hospitable environment for all guests.”

The company’s response stands in stark contrast to the incident on Providence’s Federal Hill, after a Providence Police officer went to purchase a coffee on one Friday night in October 2015, and his cup had a message from a Dunkin' Donuts employee written on the cup, "#BlackLivesMattter."

Dunkin' Donuts issued the following statement in response to GoLocal breaking the national story.

"We are aware of the situation/slogan a crew member wrote on a cup served to a police officer in Providence," said Dunkin' Donuts in a statement.

"Dunkin’ Donuts and our franchisees share a commitment to the well-being and fair treatment of all of the guests. The franchise owner has apologized to the police officer on behalf of Dunkin' Donuts, and he has counseled the employee, who has apologized for the incident," concluded the statement. 

Dunkin' refused to answer why the employee had not been fired and other questions.